The second USS Mohawk was a screw steamship in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

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Mohawk was built as Caledonia by Teas & Birely, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

; launched 11 June 1853; chartered by the Navy 13 September 1858; and entered service soon after, Commander Augustus L. Case in command.

Mohawk sailed at once for South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 to take part in Flag Officer William B. Shubrick’s 18-ship Paraguay expedition

Paraguay expedition

The Paraguay Expedition was a United States Naval mission sent to Asunción, Paraguay in 1858 to demand indemnity and apology from the Paraguayan Government for the 1 February 1855 firing on the US Navy vessel...

, attempting to gain apology for the 1855 firing upon survey steamer Water Witch

USS Water Witch (1851)

The third USS Water Witch was a wooden-hulled, sidewheel gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is best known as the ship fired on by Paraguay in 1855...

. Arriving Asunción

Asunción

Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...

 with the squadron 25 January 1859, Caledonia took position above Rosario in Río de la Plata

Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...

, ready for operations while negotiations were conducted. Paraguay agreed to apologize for the incident and pay an indemnity.

The steamer returned to the United States in February, was purchased by the Navy 14 June 1859, and renamed Mohawk on that date. She commissioned at New York Navy Yard 19 September 1859, Lt. Tunis Craven

Tunis Craven

Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven was an officer in the United States Navy. His career included service in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.-Early Life:...

 in command.

Mohawk operated against pirates and slaver

Slaver

Slaver has several meanings:*One who deals in slaves - see slave trade*A slave ship*Saliva, i.e. either the result or act of drooling as opposed to normal salivation....

s off the east coast and in the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 through 1861, capturing slave ship Wildfire in Old Bahama Canal 28 April 1860, and delivering the prize to Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

 where the crew was imprisoned. The 530 Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

ns on board were placed in a camp for protection, guarded by Mohawk's marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

, until they could be returned home. From 15 November on Lieutenant Craven in Mohawk with steamer Wyandotte defended Forts Jefferson and Taylor at Key West, from actions of “bands of lawless men”, a farsighted action that enabled the Union to retain that vital Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 base, so valuable during the forthcoming naval operations in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

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The steamer remained on guard at Key West until the end of January 1861 and then sailed for New York. On 11 March 1861, Mohawk departed for the Caribbean, escorting supply ship Empire City to Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

 and then Indianola, Texas

Indianola, Texas

Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a population of 5,000, but on September 15 of that year, a...

. The warship proceeded to Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...

 via Havana and Key West, arriving 10 May and took up her blockade station off that port. She next moved on to patrol off St. Marks, Florida

St. Marks, Florida

St. Marks is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 272 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 299 .-Geography:...

, capturing sloop

Sloop

A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....

 George B. Sloat 5 July attempting to run the blockade. She remained on station until sailing for New York 8 April 1862.

Two and one-half months later, Mohawk sailed for Port Royal, South Carolina

Port Royal, South Carolina

Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...

, to join Flag Officer Samuel F. DuPont’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She returned to Port Royal in June 1863 for duty as guardship. Ordered north for repairs 27 June 1864, on 6 July she reported to Commodore Cornelius Stribling

Cornelius Stribling

Cornelius Kinchiloe Stribling was an rear admiral in the United States Navy who served during the War of 1812, the Second Barbary War, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War.-Biography:...

 at Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Mohawk's old and damaged boilers with her poor general condition from wartime use proved her unfit for further service. She was sold 12 July 1864. Subsequently renamed Alliance while in commercial service, she was wrecked at Hatteras Inlet

Hatteras Inlet

Hatteras Inlet is a estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County.- History :...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, on 4 March 1869.